The integration of orphaned, vintage photographs, digital photography, abstract drawings and encaustic paint in my work occurs simultaneously as a dialogue develops among these elements. The mixed media approach to my work is both additive and subtractive; employing many subtle layers to form an amalgam of biographical texture. The facial expression and posture of the figure in the photographs influence my palette, the lines and marks that I make to create the narrative abstract drawings and paintings. As I work, these disparate elements transcend the physical attributes of the materials and become one brush for me to paint these portraits of strangers.